I am pleased to announce the IMS Forum Interoperability event, Plugfest IV will be held February 25 - 29, 2008, at UNH Lab. The theme for Plugfest IV is "Triple Play, OSS/BSS and Billing Applications."

Plugfest IV will integrate multiple applications and billing/charging onto a unified IMS network in order to test the deployment by real-world service providers. The Plugfest results can be used by all types of service providers including wireless, wireline and cable companies. The portfolio of services to be tested this time around will include VoIP, triple and quadruple play, OSS/BSS elements, presence and Enterprise Unified Communications (UC) interworking with IMS. This fourth Plugfest marks an important milestone in our Plugfest series of test events. After a full year of testing we have shown the readiness of the industry for its first real IMS applications and services certification program.

IMS Forum members and Plugfest participants have made a great deal of progress in moving the IMS industry forward this year. The level of interoperability between participating vendors has increased greatly since our first Plugfest which took place in January 2007. In our last two Plugfests we were able to set up a fully interoperable network running live services and applications. Through the course of the year we moved from testing basic calls and IMS registration to full applications testing. In Plugfest III we successfully tested the Sh interface for IMS Applications Servers and the Diameter protocol.

Also, in Plugfest III participants demonstrated for the first time in the industry their support of the IMS AKA authentication mechanism in addition to SIP authentication. We also demonstrated IMS to IP network and services compatibility and our members have witnessed a definite acceleration in the pace of service deployment over the course of the last 12 months.

We would like to remind you to visit our website to participate in the industry's first open IMS Community where Forum members, those involved in various IMS working groups, the IMS LinkedIn group, and our telecom industry colleagues around the world can participate in active, mutually beneficial discussions related to development, integration and deployment of NGN applications.

Wishing you all a happy and healthy holiday season.

Regards,

Michael Khalilian
Chairman & President IMS Forum
"The Voice of IP Convergence"
www.imsforum.org
MKhalilian(at)IMSForum.org

Led by consumer demand, fixed mobile convergence (FMC) is growing globally, while businesses delay adoption of the new technology, says a new market research report from Insight Research. According to the study, FMC will generate more than $35 billion in revenue for service providers and hardware vendors over the next five years. FMC service allows the same handset to access telecommunications services through both fixed and cellular networks. The handset, which can toggle between fixed and mobile calling, can also leverage WiFi hotspots, voice over IP (VoIP), and voice over wireless local area networks (WLANs).

Insight's report, Fixed Mobile Convergence: Single Phone Solutions for Wireline and Wireless, 2007 - 2012, demonstrates that consumer demand is driving sales. Small economic incentive for either wireline service providers or cellular providers to promote FMC explains the slower adoption rate by enterprises. It would mean revenue-generating calls would be moved from their respective networks and onto the enterprise's WLAN.

"FMC represents another telecommunications area where the US is trailing developments in Europe and Asia," says Insight president Robert Rosenberg. "Europe was first to adopt FMC solutions, and it is forecasted to continue investing in the technology. In the U.S., however, the largest incumbents are replacing declining access line revenue with revenue derived from the sale of both wireless and broadband services, so there is little incentive at present to push FMC to consumers," Rosenberg concluded.

Q & A with Vince Lesch, Vice President, Product Marketing, Tekelec and IMS Forum Board of Directors member www.tekelec.com

IMS Forum: What are some of the challenges to IMS success and how can they be transformed into opportunities? What is the timeline?

Vince Lesch: We believe that the transition to IMS is going to take a decade or longer. The transition period is going to be critical for carriers, and they will all have hybrid network architectures for many years. A bridge is necessary between the existing intelligent network (IN) and the future next generation network (NGN) and IMS network architecture.

Tekelec recently completed a study with Frost and Sullivan to better understand this network evolution. The findings are in a jointly produced white paper, "Network Evolution: Migration Strategies for Success" and webinar.

Tekelec has a broad presence and a strong customer base that we are leveraging as we work with our customers to provide solutions through this multi-year transition.

IMS Forum: What has your membership in the IMS Forum accomplished for your company?

Vince Lesch: Tekelec has received visibility and exposure to a broader view of what's going on in the industry and an introduction to complementary partners. We have discovered shared business opportunities that make sense for us. Our membership has brought to light these opportunities, and made us aware of the new concepts and ideas in the market. This helps us as a company and helps the industry.

IMS Forum: Describe your company and its role in IMS.

Vince Lesch: Tekelec has a number of core strengths and one is the signaling and session control layer. Our Tekelec EAGLE 5 Integrated Signaling System product is the market share leader - with almost 80 percent share in North American and globally about 40 percent, based on Venture Development Corp (VDC) market research. We are deployed in many tier one carrier network throughout the world, both wireless and wireline. AT&T North America, for example, named us one of their top vendors last year.

As we evolve from a signaling system 7 (SS7)-based world to a session initiation protocol (SIP)-based world, we think it is logical for us, given the position that we occupy in the signaling and session control layer, as we move to IMS, to support a number of different products or functions in the IMS architecture.

We have a product named TekCore CSCF that manages the call session control functions (CSCF) functionality in an IMS network. We have a product called TekSCIM, which stands for service capability interaction manager, which supports the SCIM-type functionality within the IMS environment. We also have a product called IAS, integrated applications solution, which is a tool operators can use to monitor their networks, providing performance and service management functions.

Each one of these products has a bridge component to the SS7 domain or a complementary product. TekCore has SSR, SIP signaling router, which basically supports the NGN network, pre-IMS world. TekSCIM has the ability to bridge between today's SS7 world and the SIP world. IAS can be used to manage and monitor hybrid networks that bridge SS7 as well as voice over Internet protocol (VOIP) based signaling.

IMS Forum: Are there any other critical benchmarks that need to take place in this IMS evolution?

Vince Lesch: The reason that we are focused on the transition is because you ask "What are the keys to IMS success?" One of them is allowing the carrier to build a successful business case. The idea of the transition scenario is that carriers can deploy those components that make the most sense for them and allow them to leverage their current infrastructure. An example we give is number portability. Whether you are in an IMS or SS7 domain, you are still going to have the need for number portability. If we can offer our products to support number portability, support in essence an interface both in a SIP-based or SS7-based world, the carrier does not need to replicate that functionality and replicate that investment in the IMS domain.

While we don't see large-scale IMS deployment, yet, we know operators are leveraging some of the IMS concepts in their networks today - and that lays the groundwork for the bridging to the future. For example, we have customers now who are using SCIM technology, even though it comes out of an IMS specification, who are applying it to their networks to provide unique, blended and high margin services.

Service providers are also looking at the NGN to provide multimedia services. They know that the NGN is missing a standalone SIP signaling and session framework just like you have in IMS and today's IN network. So we use our TekCore product that can support both CSCF functionality in IMS but also can support a SIP signaling and session framework within the NGN. So what happens is that instead of deploying a full blown IMS infrastructure, operators can deploy a SIP signaling router and get many of the benefits of IMS without all the additional costs of IMS.

So these are transitional steps. Once you incrementally add these components, the business case for each evolves and the service provider comes closer to a full IMS architecture.

IMS Forum: How does a verification and certification process aid the development of IMS interoperability/standards?

Vince Lesch: What the IMS Forum is doing around interoperability is crucial to the industry as a whole.

One of the challenges with IMS - and an obstacle from the carrier perspective - is that there are a lot of components, gear and interfaces to put in place to make it work together. Every standard, no matter how complete the specification is, has some ambiguity and variations of interpretation. In bringing companies together in their Plugfests, the IMS Forum helps define the common understanding necessary to create this market and work toward real deployments with real customers. The pre-testing benefits the customer. Member companies benefit because it reduces the cost of implementation. It's a win-win for everybody.
www.tekelec.com

To participate in at any of the following working Groups email info(at)imsforum.org

The IMS Forum announced the final Plugfest III results in Boston at the Fall VON show in the VON Theater in the Exhibit hall on the VON Show Floor, see photos below. The two sessions attracted a good crowd on the show floor with standing room only for each session. The panel and audience had a lively exchange on Plugfest III results and the future of IMS.

Michael Khalilian, Chairman and President of the IMS Forum opens the first IMS Plugfest III results presentation session at VON. Panel participants included Vince Lesch, Vice President, Product Marketing, Tekelec, Inc; Scott Poretsky, Director of Reef Point Systems Inc. and Manuel Vexler IMS Forum TWG Chair; John Nye, Vice President, Applications Business Practice, Sonus Networks.

The photo above provides a peek inside the IMS Forum’s event at the University of New Hampshire test lab.

Sponsors of Plugfest III included Intel, Empirix and Sonus. Media sponsors included Pulver Media, Inc., and IMS Magazine. Participants in this Plugfest included a cross-section of the IMS industry, in a clear example of the global reach of IMS. Thank you all!

The IMS Forum's recently released “IMS Report Card” which contrasts the real progress in IMS development that we have seen in our lab tests to some of the myths swirling around in the marketplace has proven to be a valuable tool. The report card refutes a number of misperceptions and falsehoods that have dogged the widespread adoption of standards-compliant IMS solutions.

The Marketing Working Group is pleased to note that the IMS Forum has recently participated in the following industry events:

• Oct. 29 – Nov. 1: VON 2007, Boston
  • Presentation of IMS Forum Plugfest III Results; Michael Khalilian, Manuel Vexler and a panel of IMS Forum Plugfest III members
  • Vince Lesch, Tekelec. NGN 2.0: The IMS Upgrade
  • Jiri Kuthan, Tekelec, participated on a panel
• Nov. 5 – 8: Telecoms Signalling World Forum, Central London, UK
  • Manuel Vexler, IMS Forum, “Managing The Signalling Services Enabled In IMS Networks”
  • Jiri Kuthan, Tekelec, “Tekelec Case Study: Understanding How To Deliver Effective Automated VoIP Services In Signalling Networks”
  • Robby Benedyk and Jiri Kuthan, Tekelec, post-conference workshop, “Network Evolution - A Signalling Perspective”
• Nov. 8: IMS Express by Radvision – Tel-Aviv, Israel
  • Manuel Vexler opened the day with the IMS Forum keynote
• Nov. 7: IMS MMD Show, Dallas TX
  • Payam Maveddat, Mavenir, “Why Is IMS Necessary on the Road to Web 2.0? Understanding the Role of IMS in Enabling Carriers to Compete in Tomorrow’s Telco Environment”
  • Steve French, Tekelec, “How Can Carriers Support the Co-existence of New and Traditional Services on an IMS Platform? Exploring the Best Strategy for Service Development”
• Nov. 13 – 15: Mobile Internet World, Boston, MA
  • Mobile Internet Innovation Awards, recognizing the leaders in the development and deployment of mobile Internet technology. Michael Khalilian, IMS Forum, Judge and member of selection committee
• Nov. 14 – 16: IEC Executive Forum, West Palm Beach, FL
• Nov. 15 – 17: Nextone User Group, Boca Raton, FL
• Nov. 15 – 16: International FOKUS IMS Workshop, Berlin, Germany
  • Wolrad Claudy, Tekelec, Workshop participant
• Nov. 26 – 30: IEEE Globecom 2007, Washington, D.C.
  • Michael Xu, Tekelec, IMS panel participant
• Nov. 27 – 29: HP Communications World 2007, Barcelona, Spain
  • Michael Khalilian of IMS Forum presented (IMS at Tipping Point) on Nov. 28

The IMS Forum’s active pace of speaking at and participating in several upcoming industry events worldwide continues.

• Dec. 3 – 7: IMS Global Congress 2007, Amsterdam
  • Dan Bantukul, Tekelec, presenting, “Optimising the Migration to IMS from Both the Operator’s and the Customer’s Perspective”
• Dec. 3 – 6: 6th Int. Basestation & Femtocells USA Conference, Dallas
  • Manuel Vexler, IMS Forum, "What will be the Consumer Experience of FMC beyond the Home and Hot Spots?," on Dec. 4
• Jan. 23 – 25, 2008: Internet Telephony Conference & Expo, Miami
  • Michael Khalilian & Manuel Vexler to Chair several Panels
• March 17 - 20, 2008: Spring VON, San Jose, CA
  
  • Plugfest IV participants and the IMS Forum will announce results from Plugfest IV
• May 13 – 15, 2008: Informa Telecoms and Media IMS Asia 2008, Singapore, Speaker TBD
• June 16 – 19, 2008: NXTcomm08, Las Vegas

Note: Showcase Your Expertise and Leadership: Call for Speakers
The IMS Forum invites members to join its exclusive Speakers’ Bureau. Member companies have an excellent opportunity to market their companies and senior executives while representing the IMS Forum at future trade shows and conferences. Simply contact us with a copy of the proposed speaker’s bio and indicate any specific IMS-related speaking topics and expertise. Speaking topic abstracts of one or two paragraphs are especially helpful.

GET REAL about your business at ISPCON: The Internet Industry Event!
ISPCON is where the service provider industry goes to GET REAL about the future of their businesses. Isn't it time you increase ARPU? Pump up profits? Optimize your operations? Find out what's next? Whatever your plans, ISPCON will help you GET REAL about them. This is the industry's only forum where peers learn from peers in real one-on-one discussion about what works, what doesn't and what's next. To access the IMS Forum member discount use Customer Code FISPAF7 at http://www.ispcon.com

6th International Basestation Conference, December 3 - 4 in Dallas: Meet with the leading carriers, OEMS, analysts and system vendors at the 6th International Basestation Conference. Key topics to be covered include:- A New Operator Landscape with Fixed Mobile Convergence, The Business Case for Fast Migration to IMS, Mobile VoIP - Benefits and Implementation in the Network, Timescales and Options for LTE Deployment, WiMAX - Trial Results from Early Adopters, Delivering Mobile Video Services Over 3G & 4G, Network Operations Outsourcing and Managed Services, OBSAI, WiMAX, IMS, FMCA, LTE, UMB Standards Updates.

Femtocells USA 2007, December 5 - 6 in Dallas: With field trials of Femtocells now underway in Europe, USA and Asia and results expected in Q3/Q4, be sure to you mark your diaries for Femtocells USA to get the latest updates on services, products, market potential, players, pricing, field trials, etc.

Recent IMS Forum press clips:

Recent IMS Forum press releases:

The IMS Forum's mission is to accelerate the interoperability of IMS applications and services, enabling enterprise and residential consumers to quickly benefit from the delivery of quadruple play voice, video, Internet and mobile services over broadband via cable, mobile and fixed networks.

IMS applications and services comprise residential VoIP, entertainment including IPTV and gaming, IP Centrex / IP PBX and unified communications for business including fixed-mobile converged services, videoconferencing and web-collaboration. IMS networks include DSL, Cable, GSM, UMTS, Wi-Fi and WiMAX implementations.

The IMS Forum Plugfests, typically held every 3 to 4 months, bring together dozens of industry-leading IMS vendors from around the world, all of whom build real, full-featured, IMS networks during the test event.

If you are interested in joining the IMS Forum, Plugfests or in participating in any of the working groups or marketing programs, please contact the IMS Forum.

All are invited to participate in the industry's first open IMS Community where Forum members, those involved in various IMS working groups, the IMS LinkedIn group, and our industry colleagues around the world can participate in active, mutually beneficial discussions. Take a moment to register now.

• Members are leading and shaping the future of IMS. Joining the IMS Forum enables members to:
• Verify and certify interoperability, reduce costs and accelerate time to market
• Participate in technical working groups focusing on service creation and applications for IMS architecture framework as well as IMS deployment issues
• Gain additional visibility through the IMS Forum's Speakers Bureau, public relations and marketing programs
• Showcase member companies at major telecom, cable, and wireless events in North America, Asia, and Europe
• Receive current market and technology information through newsletters, reports, white papers and conferences
• Gain access to an informed professional network of industry consultants and accredited experts

Have a request? We welcome your feedback on this newsletter.
Press Contact: pr@imsforum.org